NHL Return-to-Play Plan: Could Changes to This Season’s Schedule Become Permanent?
NHL Return-to-Play Plan: Could Changes to This Season’s Schedule Become Permanent?
NHL Rumor Mill – June 10, 2020
NHL Rumor Mill – June 10, 2020
Check out recent speculation on the Rangers, Devils, and Senators in today’s NHL rumor mill.
SHOULD THE RANGERS PURSUE BRODIN?
NEW YORK POST: In a recent mailbag segment, Larry Brooks was asked if the Rangers should trade prospect K’Andre Miller and maybe a draft pick to the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Jonas Brodin. The reader believes the Rangers’ biggest need is finding a suitable defense partner for Jacob Trouba.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin (Photo via NHL Images).
Brooks believes Brodin would fill that spot nicely but it would be folly to acquire a player who’s a year away from unrestricted free agency, speculating it could cost the Rangers around $7.5 million annually to re-sign him. He also doesn’t believe it justifies moving Miller.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brooks suggested the Rangers could resolve that issue from within. He pointed out Brendan Smith played well alongside Trouba after the Blueshirts traded Brady Skjei to Carolina. Libor Hajek could get a shot or they could move Ryan Lindgren alongside Trouba.
LATEST ON THE DEVILS
THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): In a recent mailbag segment, Corey Masisak was asked about what it might cost for the New Jersey Devils to acquire Jack Eichel. Masisak doesn’t believe the Buffalo Sabres intend to move their captain, but if they did, they’d want an offer that includes Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier as part of the package.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Agreed. The asking price for Eichel would be significant, perhaps far too expensive for the rebuilding Devils.
Asked about the best way for the Devils to weaponize their cap space for 2020-21, Masisak suggested pursuing a young player a cap-strapped club can’t afford to keep, a veteran player a team is willing to move to re-sign others, or taking on a bad contract if it’s packaged with a prospect or draft pick.
He also thinks it’s unlikely the Devils will make trades with the six other clubs that missed the playoff tournament.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before doing any of that, the Devils must decide if they’ll retain interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald as their full-time GM or replace him with a more experienced hand.
UPDATE ON THE SENATORS
THE HOCKEY NEWS: In his season postmortem of the Ottawa Senators, Matt Larkin believes they’ll be closer to a salary-floor team next season. Nevertheless, he anticipates they’ll likely pursue a couple of UFA veterans on one-year contracts with an eye on flipping them at next season’s trade deadline for draft picks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Cap Friendly indicates the Senators also have 13 picks in this year’s draft. Apart from their three first-rounders, I can see them using two or three of those extra picks as trade bait to perhaps acquire a good young player from a team in need of shedding cap space.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 10, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 10, 2020
The Masterton Trophy nominees are revealed, updates on the league’s return-to-play plan, and the latest on John Tavares, Shea Weber, Jeff Carter, and more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
NHL.COM: The Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) yesterday released the 2019-20 nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Miller, G
Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland, F
Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller, D
Buffalo Sabres: Curtis Lazar, F
Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano, D
Carolina Hurricanes: James Reimer, G
Chicago Blackhawks: Corey Crawford, G
Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Graves, D
Columbus Blue Jackets: Nathan Gerbe, F
Dallas Stars: Stephen Johns, D
Detroit Red Wings: Robby Fabbri, F
Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid, F
Florida Panthers: Noel Acciari, F
Los Angeles Kings: Jonathan Quick, G
Minnesota Wild: Alex Stalock, G
Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber, D
Nashville Predators: Jarred Tinordi, D
New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac, F
New York Islanders: Thomas Hickey, D
New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, G
Ottawa Senators: Bobby Ryan, F
Philadelphia Flyers: Oskar Lindblom, F
Pittsburgh Penguins: Evgeni Malkin, F
San Jose Sharks: Joe Thornton, F
St. Louis Blues: Jay Bouwmeester, D
Tampa Bay Lightning: Alex Killorn, F
Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Hyman, F
Vancouver Canucks: Jacob Markstrom, G
Vegas Golden Knights: Shea Theodore, D
Washington Capitals: Michal Kempny, D
Winnipeg Jets: Mark Letestu, F
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is among this year’s nominees for the Masterton Trophy (Photo via NHL Images)
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Congratulations to the nominees. The winner of the Masterton Trophy will be announced at the 2020 NHL Awards following this season at a date to be announced.
LATEST ON THE RETURN-TO-PLAY PLAN
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the NHL and NHL Players Association will continue discussions in the coming weeks regarding the protocols, details, testing, and more for staging Phase 3 and 4 of the league’s return-to-play plan. Phase 3 is the training camp portion and Phase 4 the 24-team playoff tournament. The PA executive board representing the 31 teams is expected to vote on one big package rather than separate votes for each phase.
Darren Dreger reports the players are awaiting the specifics for Phase 3, including details on the two hub cities, restrictions, family matters, and more. The league and the PA acknowledge nothing will be perfect and some sacrifices will have to be made to get the sport back on its feet.
Regarding the collective bargaining agreement, LeBrun said those involved are holding out hope for an extension before play resumes. A lot of work still has to be done. Escrow and the salary cap are important issues for the players. Dreger noted they’re also interested in returning to the Olympics as early as 2022.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I expect the league and the PA will get the details for the return-to-play plan sorted out by no later than early July. Whether either Phase takes place without a hitch is another issue. A second wave of COVID-19 could derail those plans.
Most fans will be thrilled if a CBA extension beyond 2022 can be hammered out before play resumes. Nevertheless, the priority is completing this season and crowning a Stanley Cup champion. The CBA takes a backseat to that right now.
REUTERS: Canada and the United States are expected to extend their border ban on non-essential travel to late July.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Unless the government of Canada provides exemptions for NHL players and staff, Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver will be out of the running as one of the two host cities for the 24-team tournament. Other Canadian teams participating in the playoff tournament could emulate the Calgary Flames’ plans to stage training camps next month in the United States.
TORONTO SUN: John Tavares, Ilya Mikheyev, Jack Muzzin, and Jack Campbell were among the Maple Leafs taking part in small-group workouts yesterday at the Leafs’ training facility. Mitch Marner and Cody Ceci are expected to join them soon.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Canadiens captain Shea Weber intends to continue training at his off-season home in Kelowna, BC until a full training camp is on the horizon.
IN OTHER NEWS…
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kings center Jeff Carter underwent successful surgery last week to repair a core muscle injury. He’s expected to fully recover before the start of next season.
TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports the New Jersey Devils put their search for a new head coach on pause for the time being. They reportedly spoke with 8-10 coaches and narrowed the list to four, including current interim bench boss Alain Nasreddine.
WGR 550: Buffalo Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut signed a two-year contract with KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk. It appears to have an NHL opt-out clause but the details remain sketchy.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Pilut, 24, is a restricted free agent coming off his entry-level contract and lacks arbitration rights. Perhaps he’s trying to garner a measure of leverage in negotiations with the Sabres.
THE SCORE: Former NHL player Brandon Bochenski was elected mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota yesterday.
NHL Rumor Mill – June 9, 2020
NHL Rumor Mill – June 9, 2020
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs acquire David Savard or Rasmus Ristolainen? Could they move William Nylander or Kasperi Kapanen? Check out the latest speculation in the NHL rumor mill.
SPORTSNET: In his latest mailbag, Luke Fox was asked if David Savard or Rasmus Ristolainen are legitimate potential trade targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fox believes they are but feels any deal involving either right-hand defenseman means the Leafs will have to trade from their depth of talented forwards.
Both blueliners lack no-trade protection. Ristolainen is younger (25) but carries a more expensive contract ($5.4 million annually through 2022) with the Buffalo Sabres, while the 26-year-old Savard has a $4.25 million AAV through 2021 with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Ristolainen seems the more likely trade candidate. He frequently surfaced in this season’s rumor mill and recently said he believes he’ll be among those on the move if the Sabres decide to make changes.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The question is, would the Sabres trade Ristolainen to a hated division rival like the Leafs? If the Leafs are willing to part with a scoring forward, the answer could be, “yes”.
Don’t expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade William Nylander in the off-season (Photo via NHL Images).
Fox pointed out Savard has no issues with Blue Jackets management, but he wondered how desperate GM Jarmo Kekalainen could be for goal scorers. It’s a fair point. Kekalainen could listen f someone like the Leafs made a reasonable offer.
Asked if the Leafs will move William Nylander to free up salary-cap space to sign other players, Fox considers it highly unlikely this off-season. He believes Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas when he said he intends to keep all his upper-class forwards and build around elite offensive talent.
However, Fox also pointed to the Leafs’ need to re-sign Frederik Andersen and Zach Hyman before they become unrestricted free agents next year. Defenseman Morgan Rielly can start contract extension talks next summer.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nylander won’t be moved, though I wonder if the Leafs could be tempted by an offer of a quality top-pairing defenseman. Dubas reportedly told Nylander that he won’t be traded as long as he was the GM. At some point, however, the Leafs’ need to address their defensive issues will come to a head, forcing Dubas to make an uncomfortable decision involving Nylander or another of his high-priced forwards.
THE ATHLETIC (subscription required): Jonas Siegel believes the Leafs shouldn’t give up on Kasperi Kapanen just yet. After the trade deadline and before the schedule was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 23-year-old winger acknowledged the trade speculation swirling around him, but claimed he didn’t think about it too much. He said he hadn’t spoken with Dubas about a potential trade and didn’t think the Leafs wanted to move him, but understood the business of the game.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kapanen is often mentioned as the player most likely to be used as trade bait to bring in a top-four defenseman. I think Dubas is reluctant to part with him, but he could be the necessary trade chip to address the Leafs’ blueline issues.
Siegel took an in-depth look at Kapanen’s play and potential. He feels the Leafs should wait at least a year to determine what they’ve got in the young Finnish winger. Siegel suggests getting as much of out Kapanen as possible before dealing him away.
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 9, 2020
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 9, 2020
Several teams begin Phase 2 training, current and former players of color form Hockey Diversity Alliance, and much more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
NHL BEGINS PHASE TWO TRAINING PERIOD
NHL.COM: Several NHL clubs began limited voluntary small-group workouts on Monday at their team facilities as part of Phase 2 of the league’s return-to-play plan. The Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vegas Golden Knights opened their facilities yesterday.
A handful of Oilers take part in small-group training on Monday (Photo via Edmonton Oilers).
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning are expected to have players on the ice today, while the Arizona Coyotes will open their training facilities on Thursday.
TSN: 16 teams are hoping to open their facilities this week for small-group training. The Montreal Canadiens are expected to open their doors on Thursday. The Vancouver Canucks, however, have no plans to reopen their facility for the foreseeable future. With only three Canucks in Vancouver with their own access to ice, it’s easier for them to continue working out on their own.
THE DENVER POST: The Avalanche won’t open their facilities until Wednesday or Thursday.
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS: Bell MTS Place will remain closed for the time being as almost all of the Jets are currently at their off-season homes throughout North America and Europe.
SPORTSNET: The Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets are among the clubs expected to open later this week. The Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues are among those that will wait.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Because the small-group training is voluntary, the teams aren’t obligated to reopen their training facilities unless requested by the players. With many players at their off-season homes and the ongoing travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, their preference is to continue working out at their current locations.
SEVEN CURRENT AND FORMER NHL PLAYERS FORM HOCKEY DIVERSITY ALLIANCE
THE SCORE: Seven current and former black NHL players formed the Hockey Diversity Alliance. San Jose Sharks winger Evander Kane and former player Akim Aliu will co-head the group. The executive committee includes Detroit Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley, Minnesota Wild blueliner Matt Dumba, Buffalo Sabres winger Wayne Simmonds, former NHLer and current AHL player Chris Stewart, and former player Joel Ward.
The alliance will be an independent group seeking to eliminate racism and intolerance in hockey. It hopes to work closely with the NHL to bring about change.
IN OTHER NEWS…
TSN: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said dialogue continues with the league and the Canadian government regarding the latter’s border quarantine issue. Daly said Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver remain among the league’s 10 options for two host cities for this summer’s 24-team return-to-play tournament.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Over the weekend, the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons reported it appeared those three cities were out as potential hubs. He claimed Las Vegas is almost certainly to be named as one of the host cities, with Los Angeles or Chicago as the other.
Pierre LeBrun reports the league and the NHL Players’ Association are hoping to open training camps in mid-July as part of Phase 3.
Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby and his wife Brandi have launched an auction to benefit Black Lives Matter DC and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
THE SCORE: Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender Carter Hutton revealed an ongoing vision issue plagued him during 2019-20. However, he doesn’t blame it for his poor performance at times.
TSN: Vancouver Canucks winger Micheal Ferland (concussion) has been cleared to resume skating. Teammate Josh Leivo (fractured knee cap) is unlikely to be ready in time for training camp in July.
ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes named Xavier A. Gutierrez as their new team president, CEO and alternate governor. He’s the first Latino president and CEO in NHL history.
AZCENTRAL.COM: Kent Somers reports Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo hinted he could have a new arena deal in place by the end of this year. Somers, however, remains skeptical.
If Meruelo has received a couple of “extremely attractive” offers from the East Valley, why hasn’t he taken them? What’s he waiting for? And what city or tribe is in position to make such an offer? Much less in the most difficult year (we hope) that most of us will experience?
NORTHJERSEY.COM: Josh Harris and David Blitzer, owners of the New Jersey Devils and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, may be interested in purchasing MLB’s New York Mets.
NHL Return-To-Play Plan: The Draft Lottery
NHL Return-To-Play Plan: The Draft Lottery